Introduction
This paper aims to analyze the contemporary problems that affect productivity and the solutions to improve productivity and efficiency. These issues affect businesses across public and private sectors and in different industries. Implementation of workable solutions requires combined efforts of the employees, human resource, and management.
Financial stress
According to Patrick (2016), financial challenge is a significant problem that impacts employees’ productivity both in the private and public sectors. For instance, if an employee is facing difficulties meeting mortgages, it will affect his/her efficiency. Also, workers are always worried about their financial freedom; those who end up with massive debts at the end of the month may not concentrate on the firm’s productivity. Importantly, there is a close correlation between the employee’s incomes and the efficiency. In companies where employees lack financial stress, high productivity is realized.
A company can apply different techniques to offset worker’s anxieties on financial matters. Provision of comprehensive financial education is paramount. Employees should be taught on how to manage their income and avoid debts. Also, they should be trained on how to save a portion of their wages in preparation for financial security as it will improve their productivity. The cost incurred during the training program pays for itself through increased sales, meeting deadlines and quality work. An organization should also ensure better pay for all workers to allow them to satisfy their needs and at the same time save for the future.
Relationships and marriages
Employees may face personal problems that affect their attention at the workplace. Issues such as problems in marriage or relationship lower worker’s attention. An employee won’t concentrate on their work if there are unresolved problems at home. Since workers accord importance to their personal relationships more than their jobs, it can be challenging to achieve the set goals when employees are unsettled. Effects of marital problems include low-quality work, lateness, absenteeism and ethical issues in the workplace during working hours.
Having an active and credible human resource department is the first step to solving marital issues. The HR will guide and advise the employees on amicable solutions that will ensure their productivity isn’t impeded. The organization can also seek the services of a professional counselor to help counsel the workers on marital issues. Motivating employees to discuss their relationship issues with fellow workers is also a remedy. When the issue is worse, the management may offer the affected worker several days off to solve his/her marital issues.
Poor IT optimization
Technology is the backbone of success in almost all contemporary business organizations. Modern businesses rely on IT even if to a small extent. Poor IT optimization affects the quality of work, meeting of deadlines, and employee’s morale. Restrictive technology doesn’t allow workers to achieve more, so it directly affects their productivity. Organizations that rely on outdated technology realize less output since workers lack the motivation to work more. Also, efficiency of work in such organizations is not realistic.
Businesses can overcome the issues of poor IT optimization by adopting modern automation systems. There are automation systems for most departments such as the finance, security and procurement. If employees have access to the current technology in their workplace, they feel motivated to work more, and there is also an improvement in efficiency. Establishing an IT department also helps to deal with poor IT optimizations. This unit helps in solving IT issues that are bound to lower productivity. Some businesses are even training their workers on how to fix IT issues and thus, eliminating the IT department.
Many meetings in workplaces
Meetings are ideal for communicating various issues regarding the organizations productivity. However, too many meetings affect productivity in the workplace (The 10 productivity problems, 2013). Contemporary businesses accord authority to many employees through delegation. These workers usually plan for numerous meetings that don’t have specific agendas. Also, the meetings are too long, and they consume time that would otherwise be used productively. Other meetings lack follow-up; thus, they waste the time of the employees and other stakeholders in the organization.
Minimizing meetings in the workplaces is a remedy that can improve productivity and efficiency. Businesses should call important meetings only that aim at bettering the performance. Most importantly, the management should engage its employees to determine if a particular conference is worth. Also, a meeting shouldn’t extend beyond the allocated time. Organizations can eliminate the need for meetings by communicating through emails, notices and convenient platforms such as the social media.
Too many emails
Emails are a better way to communicate since they eliminate the need for letters and notes. However, too many emails impede productivity and efficiency. Hurst (2007) holds that when employees spend most of their time shuffling through emails, they lack the time to work. In fact, some employees assume that they are being productive by reading a myriad of emails. At times, the workers are tempted to engage in personal businesses if they “live” in their inboxes.
Elimination of unnecessary emails is a great way to improve productivity and efficiency. The management can communicate through notices in a bid to reduce internal emails. Creating personalized emails can also reduce the load.
Misguided policies
Implementation of inappropriate policies in the workplace can lower employees productivity. For instance, if the HR decides to eliminate office walls in a consultation firm, employees may not get their work done. Other misguided policies that lower output include dress code, employees’ relationships, workplace conduct and unnecessary deadlines. Such systems may lower workers moral and directly impact the level of production.
The HR shouldn’t implement policies that affect the workplace negatively. It a good practice to engage all the stakeholders before the implementation of new policies. The HR should analyze how new policies will impact the efficiency and productivity of the employees. Policies that may lower the concentrations and output of the workers should not be adopted.
Workplace distractions
The workplace setting directly impacts workers output and efficiency. Some distractions in workplaces include noise, jumble, and inadequate facilities. Such distractions low attention of the employees and can lower their effectiveness and production. Unnecessary supervision in the workplace can also reduce the productivity of the supervisors and staff.
Business organizations should ensure the workplace is conducive to the particular production (Clements, 2006). The environment should be free from noise and jumbles. Close supervision of the employees should be done through CCTVs since it’s not destructive.
Conclusion
Some contemporary issues that affect productivity and efficiency include financial stress, relationships and marriages, poor IT optimization, many meetings in workplaces, too many emails, misguided policies, and workplace distractions. The management and HR of a particular organization should determine the specific issues that affect their employees so as to know the ideal solutions.
The solutions to these problems include financial education, seeking services of marriage and family counselors, adoption of automation systems in business operations, reduction of meetings and emails, implementation of workable policies and elimination of distractions in the workplace environment.
References
Clements, D. (2006). Creating the productive workplace. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
Hurst, M. (2007). Bit literacy: Productivity in the age of information and e-mail overload. United States: Good Experience.
Patrick, M. (2016). Top problems that affect employee productivity. Small Business Chron. Retrieved from <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-problems-affect-employee-productivity-17947.html>
The 10 productivity problems your company is ignoring. (2013). Retrieved May 7, 2016, from <https://timemanagementninja.com/2013/06/the-10-productivity-problems-your-company-is-ignoring/>
